Immersive Mode

If you have received an update to Android 4.4 “Kit Kat,” you know that most apps have not yet taken advantage of the “Immersive Mode” feature that lets users hide their notification and navigation areas and use apps in true full-screen. One of the greatest possible uses of Immersive Mode is for reading without distractions, but we have so far only seen the likes of Google’s Play Books app take advantage. That changes today with the popular read-it-later service Pocket adding full support. (more…)

There is no shortage of wallpapers out there for those of us who can’t get enough of theming our devices, but there comes a time when we need some form of consolidation for the torrent of options. One example is a personal favorite, Roman Nurik‘s Muzei live wallpaper. The latest, Behang, comes from wallpaper wizard knokfirst, whose work you may have seen featured in icon packs such as Lumos, among other places.

One of the subtle (but overdue) changes in Android 4.4 Kit Kat pertains to the way fullscreen applications work. Before Kit Kat, if an application took up the entire smartphone or tablet screen, the only way to access notifications was to exit or pause the application by navigating to either (1) a different app, or (2) the launcher. This quickly became frustrating.

Android 4.4’s “immersive mode” rectifies the issue by allowing users to recall the notification shade (and on-screen navigation key, in the absence of hardware buttons) by swiping downwards from their respective device’s top bezel. (more…)

About Droid Life

We consider ourselves to have the greatest Android community in the world, here at Droid Life. We talk general news, feature apps, review phones, and even teach you how to hack a little. But most importantly, there is no place on the internet that has the reader participation that we do and consider ourselves to be completely community driven. If you were looking for the best place to learn about Android and talk with like-minded folks about all things tech, then Droid Life is for you.